Eventually
by jazzyproz
Summary: My response to the prompt presented by SarahsInPrint. Spoiler for 9:1. Prompt rules were Booth proposes to Brennan. A unique ring must be involved. No mention of Pelant (I take it that means 'by name'). Christine is not physically present, but is mentioned. Enjoy!


**A/N Hello and welcome! **

**This is my contribution to a challenge that I learned about from the amazing _dharmamonkey. **

**The prompt originated with **_SarahInPrint__** and contained the following guidelines: **_

_**Booth proposes to Brennan. **_

_**Rules: 1. Less than 2,000 words 2. No mention of Pelant 3. Christine is not physically in the story (she can be mentioned, but she is not present) 4. A unique ring is involved.**_

_**Here is my take on that challenge. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or it's characters, only this little tale! **_

Their world had been turned upside down by an unforeseeable evil that had finally been neutralized. While the stress had undeniably taken a toll on the couple, they vowed that 'they' would be alright.

Things would get back to normal.

Eventually.

Angela offered to take Christine for the weekend, affording the couple some much coveted alone-time. Brennan accepted her friend's offer, knowing that she and Booth desperately needed a quiet evening or two to simply dote on each other. Once she made the arrangement, Brennan felt her body grow inexplicably anxious in anticipation of what it would feel like be wrapped in the strong embrace of her boyfriend, without the worry of an evil hacker listening to their every word or watching their every move. Knowing that their precious daughter would be in the safe care of close friends would permit her mind to be at ease, her attention directed to Booth without interruption.

"_Ange is taking Christine. We'll pick her up Sunday_." The anthropologist sent the simple text to the one man she knew she would always love, regardless of what the textbooks all claim about relationship phases and chemical reactions.

Booth smiled at the two-sentence message, feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction in knowing his partner obviously desired time alone with him as much as he did with her.

"_Awesome. Give her a kiss for me. Tell her I love her._"

"_You love Angela?_" Brennan smiled, knowing exactly what Booth meant, but unable to forego teasing him.

"_No Bones! CHRISTINE!_" Booth shook his head, hoping she was joking, but not entirely certain that his girl wasn't staring at the phone with the trademark 'V' formed between her perfect eyebrows. Just to make sure there was no misunderstanding, he hastily tapped out an additional response. "_You're the only 1 I love, Bones._" He eyed his safe silently, awaiting her assurance of understanding.

Brennan knew Booth loved her unequivocally. Once he'd explained the reasons behind his sudden change of heart, the picture became clear to Brennan. She fell in love even more, knowing he had sacrificed his own happiness for the well-being of others, even though it meant he had to protect her by lying.

Nevertheless, they would move on… 'They' would be alright.

And they _would _be.

Eventually.

Feeling a sudden flutter low in her abdomen, Brennan quickly replied before packing her files in a hurry.

"_I know Booth. I was joking. I can be very amusing, you know :)"_

"_So I've heard,_" his reply came immediately as he breathed a sigh of relief. "_See you tonight. Love you._"

The scientist smiled at her phone and hastened her pace, planning to stop at the market on her way home. Her peripheral vision caught sight of Cam passing the glass wall of the office. "Cam? I'm leaving early. I have the reports from today's reconstructions, should I email them before I leave?"

Her boss smiled, already knowing that Angela was taking Christine, and understanding that her resident genius was anxious to start her weekend. "Dr. Brennan, you can send them on Monday. I won't be reviewing anything this weekend."

Pale blue-gray eyes met darker ones in appreciation, the women shared a silent smile of understanding. "Thank you, Cam."

With a single nod, Booth's former lover started to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "You shouldn't work this weekend, either!"

B/B/B/B

Booth entered the house and took a deep breath, inhaling the unmistakable aroma of his partner's mac-n-cheese, and as if out of his control, he groaned in starving appreciation.

"Smells awesome in here, Bones!" He called out as he turned to head upstairs after seeing that she was not in the kitchen or dining room, though the steaming crock of pasta on the counter beside a freshly tossed salad told him she had been there moments before.

Greeting him at the top of the staircase, Brennan wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders as he pressed an affectionate kiss to her lips.

"Go wash up, Booth," she smiled against his mouth. "Dinner's ready. I'll pour the wine."

"I'll just be a few minutes, Baby." Booth pressed a kiss to her temple, feeling a swell of emotion fill his chest because his girl prepared _his _favorite meal for their evening alone. He grinned, knowing that for her to have already baked mac-n-cheese _and _to have in the oven, what was undeniably apple pie, she must have knocked-off work early. By his calculations, she probably left shortly after they exchanged texts.

Booth watched Brennan as she descended the stairs until she turned the corner out of sight before making his way down the hall to their bedroom. As he changed into jeans and a t-shirt, the agent mused about the rocky road that he and his partner had travelled before finally reaching their current destination. With a little bounce in his step, he pushed a fisted object into his pocket and headed downstairs, finding his partner lighting candles centered on their table.

B/B/B/B

They talked as Booth cleared the table, packaging leftovers for Saturday's lunch. Brennan washed the scraped dishes, knowing Booth would dry them when he was done his task, as was their typical routine. However, her partner stepped up behind her, standing flush against her back and encircling her waist, splaying his hands across her tummy while nuzzling into her neck.

"Awesome dinner, Bones. Everything was fantastic." He placed a kiss just behind her ear.

Unable to stop the shiver from running down her spine, the anthropologist trembled in his arms and leaned back into her partner's broad chest.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wanted to surprise you."

"You're a constant surprise, Bones. That's one of the things I love about you, babe." Another strategically placed kiss upon her neck resulted in goosebumps breaking out down the length of her arms. "Leave the dishes for now," he tugged her gently away from the sink, reaching out and grabbing a towel for her to dry her hands.

Brennan followed her partner's lead her into the livingroom, where a blazing fire cast a warm glow across the interior and soft jazz music displaced the quiet. She smiled that he had relocated the half-empty bottle of wine and their glasses to the coffee table centered in the room.

"Dance with me," he drew her close, humming his approval when she immediately looped her arm around his shoulders, letting her head fall into place at the crook of his neck as he began to sway.

Several quiet moments passed, they simply enjoyed the sense of calm normalcy that enveloped them. Their bodies reacted to the physical proximity of the other - arms flexed and tightened, fingers glanced against skin as their hands roamed freely, stolen kisses peppered jawlines, necks and cheeks until finally their lips met in a heated kiss that stopped their dance mid-sway.

When they finally broke for oxygen, Booth brought his wide, calloused hands up, cradling Brennan's face. "Thank you for finding faith in me, Bones. I'm sorry I gave you reason to doubt my love."

"No, Booth. I'm sorry I lost sight of who you are. I should've just listened to my heart, like you're always telling me to do; instead I listened to people around us. That was a mistake."

"I love you, Bones. You're my world...my life. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"I know." Her reply was soft, her voice husky with emotion as she felt her stomach knot at the recent memory of the strain she'd felt over the previous three months. She realized, with tears in her eyes, that her partner had endured the same painful existence and had done so silently, battling their demons alone as he struggled to find a way to recreate the balance and peace that they craved so desperately. "I will never question your motives again. I promise."

Booth encased her much smaller hand in his and guided her to the loveseat where he sat, pulling her down to his side. "Questioning me isn't _always _bad, Bones, that helps keep me on my toes." He grinned and winked at her as he reached forward and refilled their wine glasses. "But I _would _ask that you not question my feelings for you, though."

He grew serious and held her gaze, as if contemplating his next choice of words. Before she could reassure him of her intentions to never again doubt his devotion, he continued, finally having made a decision as he glanced at her sideways from where he leaned forward.

"Bones, I asked you, almost a decade ago, if you believed in Fate," he turned sideways and faced her, resting his palm against her thigh. "And you told me, in no uncertain terms, '_No. Absolutely not_.' But I believed back then, and I _still _believe. I believe that we are fated to be together, destined to have our lives intertwined. And I _love _that idea. I love being your partner...and being the man you come home to in the evenings and I _love _waking up at your side every morning. I love the family we've created, and the life we've constructed. I just love _you_, Bones."

Brennan was crying quiet tears of relief and gratitude, knowing Booth was completely and openly honest in his declaration to her. She lowered her eyes as she wrapped her fingers around his hand where they rested on her leg and smiled that he instantly tightened his grip in response. "Thank you, Booth…"

"Be my wife, Bones." He knuckled his finger beneath her chin, drawing her eyes back to meet his. "Please, Temperance..."

His request was quiet, intimate and _perfect_. There was no grandeur, no unnecessary fuss. It was simply two people who loved each other unconditionally, sitting together in the warmth of the home they'd built, surrounded by the things they considered precious.

"Yes." She smiled as she looked deep into the chocolate pools that had brought her more comfort than she could ever remember. "Yes, Booth. I _want _to be your wife." The tears fell from her eyes and she let them, not wanting to hide her happiness from the very man who provided it.

Sliding them from her chin, he weaved his fingers into loose auburn locks and pulled her lips to his, fusing them together in a heated kiss, sealing the promises they'd just made. Tears intermingled as their cheeks brushed together, teeth tugged at lips, fingers gripped and grasped whatever was within reach and they smiled against each other's mouths, the full weight of their vows folding in around them, binding them in love.

When they parted, Booth extracted his hand from her grip, and dug into his pocket.

"I hope you like it, Bones," he reached for her left hand, slipping a perfectly sized ring into place. "If you don't, we can pick out another one...whatever you want, Baby."

Brennan's blue-gray eyes stared at her hand, her lips parted in silent awe as she admired what he'd just placed on her slender finger. The tri-tone gold ring sat flush against her skin, a modest pale blue diamond was centered between a pair of scrolled B's.

"It's...beautiful...perfect," she smiled in amazement at how natural it felt for her to wear a ring on that hand - to wear _his _ring. Cupping his jaw in her cool palms, she pressed a kiss to his strong lips. "I love you, Booth. I will _always _love you."

Her choice of words spoke to Booth on a deep level. It was a statement of _absolute_; a variable to which, not so long ago, she would not have committed herself.

But Temperance Brennan was always evolving.

Everything happens eventually.

That night became Booth's _Eventually_.

His Bones agreed to become his _wife_, and an emotional FBI Special Agent scooped his partner onto his lap, pouring his love to her through his kiss.

A promise.

A vow.

A life together.

Eventually became a certainty.

Booth and Brennan were finally getting married.

**Postscript A/N **

**OK, so what do you think? I got the body of the story down from nearly 3,000 words to 1,999. **WHEW!** **

**Please leave me a review with your thoughts. **

**Probably pretty cheesy, I know, but I had to get a little sappy. I needed it! **

**Peace & love, my friends. **

**~Jazzy**


End file.
